Pages

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Soul Sunday

20 Questions that Will Free Your Mind from Negativity

Negativity often breeds not from the answers we receive from this world, but from the questions we ask ourselves every day. You can spend your life wallowing in fear by avoiding the obvious, or
asking negative questions like, “Why me?” Or you can be grateful that
you’ve made it this far – that you are strong enough to breathe, walk
and think for yourself – and then ask, “Where do I want to go next?"

Life is filled with unanswered questions, but it is the courage to
ask enough of the right ones that ultimately leads you to an
understanding of yourself and your purpose.So stop and swap them for questions that push you in a positive direction.

What could you be grateful for and positive about right now, if you really wanted to? Your greatest weapon against stress and negativity is your ability to
choose one thought over another. Happiness escapes from those who
refuse to see the good in what they have. When life gives you every
reason to be negative, think positive.

What’s one problem you’re thankful you don’t have?
Smile right now; not because life has been easy, perfect, or exactly as
you had anticipated, but because you choose to be happy and grateful
for all the good things you do have, and all the problems you know you
don’t have.

What are you holding on to that you need to let go of? Oftentimes holding on actually makes us weaker, and letting go builds
our strength. Does that thing you were extremely upset about six
months ago, or last year, really matter now? I bet it doesn’t. And if
you’re still thinking about it, it’s not serving your best interests.

Who, or what, needs your forgiveness? Forgiveness
doesn’t always lead to healed relationships and situations. Some
relationships and situations aren’t meant to be. Forgive anyway, and
let what’s meant to be, BE. Go ahead and set yourself free. When you
hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or
condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness
is the only way to dissolve that link and break free.

What’s the right thing to do? Just because you
can, doesn’t mean you should. Just because it’s easy, doesn’t mean it’s
worth your while. Do what’s right, not what’s easy. It’s a far less stressful way to live.

What’s something nice you can do for someone else right now? Do all the good you can, to as many people as you can, as often as
you can. No act of love and kindness, no matter how small, is ever
wasted. Good vibes always come back around.

What compliments have you received lately?
Remember, butterflies don’t know the color of their wings, but the human
eyes know how beautiful they are. Likewise, in the haste of your busy
days, you likely don’t notice just how great you are, but others nearby
still see that you are incredible. When someone says something nice
about you, it’s worth remembering.

What do you know you’re great at? Although it’s
nice to hear people compliment you, it’s not essential to your
self-worth. And if no one offers to give you a compliment, give
yourself one. You are good enough, smart enough and strong enough. You
don’t need other people to validate you every minute; you are valuable! Notice your strengths, focus on them, and celebrate them.

What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? Truth be told, you can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t try. Care
less about what the haters say about you and smile more about what you
know is true. Live your life and be happy with yourself, without their
negative judgments. Practice listening to compliments and constructive
criticism, and ignoring insults and negativity. It’s far from easy, but
it’s worth working on.

What activities help you feel most like yourself?
In other words, figure out what motivates you to grow into your most
authentic self. And remember that you can’t grow unless you’re willing
to change. But as you grow you’ll notice you don’t change much… you
just become more of who you are.

What gets you excited about life? Think… If you
truly wanted to be excited right now, what could you get excited about?
Find it and focus on it more often. When you truly believe in what
you’re doing, it shows and it pays. Success in life is for those who
are excited about where they’re going.

What excuses do you need to stop making? As
George Washington once said, “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad
one.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. If you are good at making
excuses, you will never be good at anything else. No matter what the
obstacles are that you see in front of you, the only thing truly
standing between you and what you want is the excuse you keep telling
yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.

If you learn from your mistakes, why are you always so afraid to make a mistake? If you want to do it right, make lots of mistakes and accept a great
deal of discomfort along the way. It might sound crazy, but it’s worth
your while. In life, mistakes make you smarter and discomfort makes you
stronger. Both are necessary growing pains.

When was the unexpected better than what you expected? When something goes wrong in your life, just yell, plot twist and
then do your best to adapt. You won’t always get where you intended to
go in life, but you will eventually arrive precisely where you need to
be.

What do you now know better for next time? Don’t
let your fear of past events affect the outcome of your future. Live
for what today has to offer, not what yesterday has taken away. There
will always be obstacles, but we are confined most often by the walls we
build ourselves. What we see depends on how we look at it. Forget
what you’ve lost and focus on what you’ve learned.

What’s the next best step forward from here? Every unwelcomed event, person or situation is really just a doorway into the next you. A stronger, wiser you.

What’s priceless about this moment? Step forward,
but don’t rush. Don’t completely waste the season of life you are in
now, simply because you want the next one to begin. There is always
beauty waiting to be realized. Notice the goodness happening around you
right now, even if you have to look a little harder than usual.

When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing? Relax. You are enough. You have enough. You do enough. Breathe extra deep, let go and just live right now in the moment.

Who do you need to spend less time with? There
are over seven billion people in the world right now; don’t let a
handful of negative ones ruin your happiness. No, you can’t choose
every person you meet in life, but you can choose who you spend your time with.
So be thankful for the people who walk into your life and make it
better, but also be thankful for the freedom to walk away from the ones
who don’t.

How have insignificant past rejections messed with your self-confidence? Don’t let old rejections take up permanent residence in your head.
Kick them out on the street. Realize that sometimes you have to try to
do what you think you can’t do, so you realize that you actually can.
And sometimes it takes more than one attempt. If plan A doesn’t work
out, don’t fret; the alphabet has another 25 letters that would be happy
to give you a chance to get it right. The wrong choices usually bring
us to the right places, eventually. You just have to believe in your
own potential to get there. This weeks Soul Sunday comes from one of my favorite inspirational authors Marc Chernoff.

No comments
:

Post a Comment

Welcome

Welcome to my world. I believe we should all try to be the change we wish to see and that the truth will set you free. Here you will find a little bit of everything, a journal of sorts of what feels like a road less traveled life. As well as a mission to help shelter dogs find loving homes.

Wisdom

Copyright

This entire site and all of the photographs herein, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by the photographer. No part of this site, or any of the content contained herein, may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without express permission of the copyright holder. Thank you.